UT Dallas' Student Government has voted unanimously to ask the university's police department to remove every Flock automated license plate reader on campus, the student newspaper The Mercury reported Tuesday.
The resolution, S.R. 2026-09, calls on the UT Dallas Police Department to take down the cameras and directs Student Government's Police Oversight Committee to advocate for their removal, according to the paper. Seven members of the public spoke during the comment period before the vote, all urging senators to oppose the cameras.
Senator Sarim Muhammad, who presented the measure, told the senate it was "not anti-safety" or "anti-police" but about "trust and freedom." A student who spoke during public comment said he felt less safe with the cameras because of how widely the data can be shared.
The Mercury's report did not include a response from the university to the vote, and the resolution's text as quoted asks for, rather than orders, the cameras' removal.
What police have said
University police began using Flock in April 2022 and run 13 cameras around the edge of campus, all pointed at inbound traffic, Capt. Karl Zuber told senators at a Sept. 29 meeting, according to The Mercury.
He said the cameras read 13,000 to 20,000 plates on a typical weekday during the semester and that images are deleted after 30 days unless investigators keep them for an active case.
Access is limited to sworn officers and certain staff, each search must list an offense type and reason, and searches are audited monthly, police said. Zuber said the audits have found no irregularities.